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Text to Morse code
Type any text — letters, digits, spaces, and the punctuation in the chart — and watch it become dots and dashes instantly. Letters are separated by spaces, words by /.
REFERENCE TABLE · EVERYDAY
Morse Code Chart
The full ITU International Morse chart — A–Z, 0–9, punctuation, and the prosigns — with two live translators. On the defaults, SOS encodes to ··· −−− ··· (about 1.6 seconds of keying at 20 WPM), and ... --- ... decodes right back to SOS. Type below, or scroll down for the printable chart.
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Morse code to text
Paste or type dots and dashes — one space between letters, / (or three spaces) between words — and get the plain text back. Type dots as . and dashes as -.
The 60-second rule
Every letter is a pattern of short dits (·) and long dahs (−), timed in units: a dit is 1 unit, a dah is 3, the gap inside a letter is 1, the gap between letters is 3, and the gap between words is 7. At 20 WPM one unit is 0.06 seconds (the PARIS standard word). So SOS — 3 dits, 3 dahs, 3 dits, with intra-letter and letter gaps — takes 27 units, about 1.6 seconds. Common letters got the shortest codes: E is one dit, T is one dah.
The worked example, letter by letter
Encode “SOS”: S is ···, O is −−−, S is ··· — letters separated by spaces, giving ··· −−− ···. Counting units: each S is 3 dits + 2 intra-gaps = 5 units; O is 3 dahs (9) + 2 intra-gaps = 11 units; plus two letter gaps of 3 — 27 units × 0.06 s = about 1.6 seconds at 20 WPM.
Encode “HELLO WORLD”: ···· · ·−·· ·−·· −−− / ·−− −−− ·−· ·−·· −·· — the / marks the word gap. Case doesn’t matter: lowercase input encodes the same.
Decode “... --- ...”: split on the spaces into ..., ---, ... — the chart reads S, O, S — giving SOS. A / or triple space starts a new word; anything that isn’t a dot, dash, space, or / raises an error.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Encoded Morse | each character → its ITU pattern; letters joined by a space, words by / | ··· −−− ··· for SOS — the same dots and dashes a telegraph key would send. |
| Keying time at 20 WPM | total timing units × 0.06 seconds (dit 1, dah 3, intra-gap 1, letter gap 3, word gap 7) | About 1.6 seconds for SOS — how long the message takes an operator to send. |
| Decoded text | split words on / or double spaces, letters on single spaces, then reverse-lookup each group | SOS for “... --- ...” — the plain English behind the dots and dashes. |
The complete letters chart
All 26 letters of ITU International Morse. Print this page and the chart travels with you. (The chart prints dots and dashes as · and −; type them as . and - in the decoder above.)
| Char | Morse | Char | Morse | Char | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ·− | J | ·−−− | S | ··· |
| B | −··· | K | −·− | T | − |
| C | −·−· | L | ·−·· | U | ··− |
| D | −·· | M | −− | V | ···− |
| E | · | N | −· | W | ·−− |
| F | ··−· | O | −−− | X | −··− |
| G | −−· | P | ·−−· | Y | −·−− |
| H | ···· | Q | −−·− | Z | −−·· |
| I | ·· | R | ·−· |
The numbers chart
| Char | Morse | Char | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | −−−−− | 5 | ····· |
| 1 | ·−−−− | 6 | −···· |
| 2 | ··−−− | 7 | −−··· |
| 3 | ···−− | 8 | −−−·· |
| 4 | ····− | 9 | −−−−· |
Punctuation
| Char | Morse | Char | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| . | ·−·−·− | ; | −·−·−· |
| , | −−··−− | = | −···− |
| ? | ··−−·· | + | ·−·−· |
| ’ | ·−−−−· | - | −····− |
| ! | −·−·−− | _ | ··−−·− |
| / | −··−· | " | ·−··−· |
| ( | −·−−· | $ | ···−··− |
| ) | −·−−·− | @ | ·−−·−· |
| & | ·−··· | : | −−−··· |
Prosigns (sent run together, no gaps)
| Prosign | Morse | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| SOS | ···−−−··· | Distress call |
| AR | ·−·−· | End of message |
| SK | ···−·− | End of work / signing off |
| BT | −···− | Break / pause in the message |
| KN | −·−−· | Over to a named station only |
Timing in units
| Element | Length |
|---|---|
| Dit (·) | 1 unit |
| Dah (−) | 3 units |
| Gap inside a letter | 1 unit |
| Gap between letters | 3 units |
| Gap between words | 7 units |
Who uses this
- The ham radio operator: looks up a callsign’s pattern before a net, or decodes a slow-speed CW contact by typing what the ear hears — one space per letter, / per word.
- The puzzle and escape-room fan: decodes hidden dots-and-dashes in an ARG or puzzle hunt in seconds instead of squinting at the chart row by row.
- The history student: encodes a quote to see what a telegraph operator actually keyed, and times it at 20 WPM to feel how slow “instant” communication used to be.
- The camper with a signal mirror: memorizes SOS and the 3-3-3 distress rhythm (three flashes, three long, three short) from the prosigns table — the one pattern that still saves lives.
Accuracy & limitations
This is ITU International Morse — the standard used worldwide since the 1860s. American (railroad) Morse is a different, older code with different dot-dash patterns and intra-letter spaces; it is not covered here. Timing assumes ideal keying and the PARIS standard word (50 units per word); real operators vary speed, swing, and weighting, so the 1.6-second SOS is a reference, not a stopwatch claim. Prosigns are shown run together with no internal gaps — that is what makes them prosigns rather than letter groups. The decoder needs clean spacing: single spaces between letters, / or double spaces between words — it cannot hear audio or guess where a sloppy gap was meant to fall.
Cite this chartBright Side Kit. “Morse Code Chart.” brightoolbox.com, 2026.
Bright Side Kit. "Morse Code Chart." https://brightoolbox.com/morse-code-chart/ Accessed October 23, 2026.Frequently asked questions
How do I send SOS in Morse code?
··· −−− ··· — three dits, three dahs, three dits, sent run together as one prosign. About 1.6 seconds at 20 WPM. The universal distress call: send it, then pause and repeat.
What is the difference between International and American Morse?
International (ITU) Morse — the code on this page — is the worldwide standard with uniform timing. American (railroad) Morse is an older, different code with extra-long dashes, intra-letter spaces, and completely different patterns for many letters. They are not interchangeable.
How long does it take to send a message in Morse?
Count timing units: dit = 1, dah = 3, intra-letter gap = 1, letter gap = 3, word gap = 7. At 20 WPM one unit is 0.06 seconds (PARIS standard). The translator above computes it for you — SOS takes about 1.6 seconds.
Why do common letters have shorter codes?
By design: E is one dit, T is one dah, while rare letters like Q and Z take four symbols. Morse was an early form of compression — frequent letters cost less airtime, which is why “HELLO” is quick and “QUIZ” is not.
What are prosigns like AR, SK, and BT?
Prosigns are procedural signals sent run together with no letter gaps: AR (·−·−·) ends a message, SK (···−·−) signs off, BT (−···−) marks a break, and KN (−·−−·) hands over to a named station. SOS is the distress prosign.
Can this decoder turn audio into text?
No — it decodes written dots and dashes only. To decode by ear, learn the sound patterns (hams learn whole letters as rhythms, not dot counts) and type what you hear into the decoder above.
How do I separate letters from words when decoding?
Use a single space between letters and a / (or triple space) between words: “... --- ... / .... ..” decodes to “SOS HI”. Without the word gap, the decoder can’t tell where one word ends and the next begins.